Question

    Hawking was perhaps the most famous scientist in the world when he died in 2018 at age 76.His 1988 book，A Brief History of Time，sold ten million copies and made him an unlikely superstar even to people who sweated through high school science.

Humor was always a big part of Hawking’s effort to bring physics to the masses.In his 2010 book，The Grand Design，for instance，he recounts how，in 1277，the Catholic Church declared scientific laws such as gravity to be wrong，since they seemed against God's idea.“Interestingly，”the text adds jokingly，“Pope John was killed by the effects of the law of gravity a few months later when the roof of his palace fell in on him.”

Hawking was only 21 when he was diagnosed with the disease ALS.For most people，the condition would have been a disaster.But Hawking rolled over hardship as if it were just a pebble under his wheelchair.“Life would be tragic，”he once said，“if it weren’t funny.”He kept smiling even though he spent more than 50 years in a wheelchair.

“He loved adventure and fun，”says Mlodinow，who once took Hawking on a punt-boat trip down the fiver Cam in Cambridge，England，despite the obvious danger of the boat turning over.“You know about when he went on the Vomit Comet? It’s a plane that flies in a parabolic(抛物线的)path so you are weightless，like you are in space.A lot of people vomit，but he loved that sort of thing.”And he was 65 at the time.

Hawking’s greatest hit，humor-wise，was probably the cocktail party he threw in 2009.It was a“welcome reception for future time travelers，”he said，so naturally，he sent out the invitations the day after the party.No one showed up yet.“Maybe one day someone living in the future will find the information and use a wormhole time machine to come back to my party，proving that time travel will one day be possible，”Hawking explained.And if that happens，don’t be surprised if Hawking is there too.After all，he never missed a chance to have fun.

1.What does the text mainly tell us about Hawking?

A. He related physics to humor closely.

B. He made great contributions to physics.

C. He went through many funny experiences.

D. He was optimistic about the future of science.

2.What can we learn about Pope John?

A. He was not in favor of God.

B. He was a scientist like Hawking.

C. He was opposed to the law of gravity.

D. He was killed due to the discovery of gravity.

3.What drove Hawking to go on the Vomit Comet?

A. His fondness of adventure.

B. The invitation from his friend.

C. The requirements of his work.

D. His desire for recovery from ALS.

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. The cocktail party was a great success.

B. The possibility of time travel was not proved.

C. Hawking was a man who enjoyed holding parties.

D. The wormhole time machine was used at that time.

Answer

1. A

2. C

3. A

4. B

【解析】

本文属于说明文，介绍霍金不仅用幽默的方式让大家理解物理学，同时也是一个幽默乐观的人。

1.主旨大意题。根据第二段Humor was always a big part of Hawking’s effort to bring physics to the masses.可知，本文主要介绍霍金用幽默的方式让人们更好理解物理学，故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段In his 2010 book，The Grand Design，for instance，he recounts how，in 1277，the Catholic Church declared scientific laws such as gravity to be wrong，since they seemed against God's idea.可知，1277年，John教皇宣布科学理论比如万有引力等是错的，因为不符合上帝的观点，故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段第一句“He loved adventure and fun以及You know about when he went on the Vomit Comet? It’s a plane that flies in a parabolic(抛物线的)path so you are weightless，like you are in space.A lot of people vomit，but he loved that sort of thing.”可知，霍金乘坐Vomit Comet原因是因为热爱冒险和好玩，故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段Maybe one day someone living in the future will find the information and use a wormhole time machine to come back to my party，proving that time travel will one day be possible可知，时空穿越现在还没有被证明，可能将来会成为现实的，故选B。